Kate Middleton's Family Made Their Feelings About Meghan Markle Extremely Clear
In-law drama is tough enough when it involves your partner's immediate family, but add other in-laws to the mix, and it can lead to a disaster of "RHONY" proportions. When Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, first began dating Meghan Markle, they both knew she would have to pass muster with the senior members of The Firm, most especially his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. But the couple might not have fully realized there might be issues with the extended family. Markle and Kate Middleton reportedly began feuding almost from the start, and the now-infamous dust-up over the bridesmaid dress Princess Charlotte was to wear at Meghan and Harry's wedding made it clear the sisters-in-law were never going to be best friends. The 2023 Omid Scobie biography "Endgame" claims the Sussexes' many public allegations about the palace have made the Princess of Wales wary of trusting them ever again.
That iciness has extended to the princess's family, as well; we're not going to see the duchess palling around with her sister-in-law's family anytime soon. Her role in the infamous "Megxit" and her alleged attitude toward the future queen consort has the Middletons circled protectively around their beloved daughter, sister, and niece. Gary Goldsmith, Kate's tell-all uncle, once quipped to the Daily Mail, "[I]f there's a manual on 'How Not To Behave When Joining The Royal Family', Meghan has been following it word for word!"
The Middletons were opposed to having Meghan at a family wedding
The awkwardness between the Middletons and Meghan Markle originated with a major family event. According to Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand's royal biography "Finding Freedom," Prince Harry had gone public with his relationship just a few months before the scheduled May 2017 wedding of Kate's younger sister, Pippa Middleton. When it came time to make out the guest list, "[b]oth the bride and her mom, Carole, privately harbored concerns that the American actress's presence alongside Harry might overshadow the main event," the authors stated (via Us Weekly).
The Middletons finally opted to extend an invite to Meghan after all, and she flew to London and got a facial for the occasion. But on the morning of the wedding, a British tabloid ran a story about her attending the wedding and speculating how she might look. There was no chance now of Meghan going unnoticed by the paparazzi. Instead, she skipped the church ceremony and went to the reception at the Middleton family's home. To ensure they wouldn't pull focus, Pippa had Meghan and Harry sit at separate tables for dinner.
It was a valiant effort. The tabloids and fashion magazines gushed over Pippa's stunning lace gown and the utter cuteness of junior attendants Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Still, Meghan's will-she-or-won't-she dilemma got plenty of press as well, creating just the situation the Middletons were hoping to avoid.
Kate's Uncle Gary doesn't mince words about Meghan
Things don't seem to have gotten better from there. The Sussexes' withdrawal from royal life, followed by their interviews, docuseries, and Prince Harry's memoir "Spare," may have driven a wedge further between the Middletons and Meghan Markle. The palace has maintained a dignified silence about the Sussexes, as have Kate's parents and siblings. However, her maternal uncle Gary Goldsmith has done more than enough talking for all of them. Goldsmith slammed Meghan and Harry's Netflix docuseries, "Meghan & Harry," on an interview with "GB News" shortly after the series aired. Claiming Kate had been unfairly portrayed as the bad guy, Goldsmith was particularly upset with a statement Meghan made about his niece being cold and formal even in private. "I don't think Meg is a bad person, but that is ridiculous. It's sad," he said.
Goldsmith recently spoke out again as a contestant on the U.K. version of "Celebrity Big Brother." He pointed fingers at Meghan for "put[ting] a stick in the spokes" of what was once a united bond between William, Harry, and Kate, "and [she] creates so much drama that I don't generally think is there," he asserted (per Us Weekly).
Will the two families ever make peace? It may all depend on what happens with William and Harry's relationship. Both princes are fiercely protective of their wives and, by extension, their in-laws. Until they reclaim their brotherly love, it's not likely that the Middletons will extend an olive branch on their own.